hot for teacher
by xIrelandx
Summary: UPDATED: Formatting issues fixed! / Prompted by tumblr, PL/AA crossover college!AU. Apollo, Clay & Luke are all at the same college with crushes on their respective professors Wright, Starbuck, and Layton. Written for my tumblr spouse shanetids.
1. Chapter 1

Late. Luke Triton was going to be so very, very late. And the professor was going to _kill_ him.

Luke grit his teeth and tried not to start running through the too-narrow hallways full of people. He wasn't the swearing sort, but he was beginning to figure he might have to take it up if the buildings were always this hectic.

"Excuse –" he started, but was brushed aside by a much taller man, possibly a football (if you could even call the sport that) player. He didn't even seem to notice that he'd run Luke into the wall, but Luke didn't dare bring it up. He wasn't adverse to pointing out rudeness as it occurred in others, but he wasn't sure he'd make it out of an altercation alive – not with that particular student, anyhow.

Luke inclined his head downward, craned his neck outward, and squinted to try and see the pale and fading numbers that adorned the doors.

It was no use. He'd just have to wait until the din died down. Luke flattened his back against the cold, cinderblock walls and wondered why the air-conditioning was on so high during fall. He huffed and sucked in his breath as disgruntled student after disgruntled student pushed past him, their bookbags slamming painfully into his arms. Luke turned his head to further keep himself out of the line of fire.

And then, just as suddenly as the onslaught had started, it died down. Luke was now alone in a nearly-empty hallway. He breathed a sigh of relief before letting out a strangled sob. He had two minutes to get to class, and he still hadn't found the correct room.

Luke chewed his bottom lip, trying to decide on a plan of action. Realizing he could deliberate no more, he swallowed his pride and knocked on the closest office door.

A woman with short grey hair looked up at him, and faked a smile. "Oh, hello there! How may I help you?"

Luke held tightly onto his bag, the hand clutching his schedule shaking slightly. "'Ello, miss. I was wond'ring if you could tell me wh- where I could find this room?" Luke held out his schedule so the woman could look at it.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you're in the wrong building."

Luke could feel himself sweating coldly. "A-are you sure? Archaeology 100?"

The woman nodded, her attention already turned back to the papers in front of him. "Yes. Professor Layton always teaches in King Hall. It's easier, that way, for someone to go and get him if he's forgotten class has started."

Luke was shaking, his nerves getting the best of him. He opened his mouth to ask for directions when he heard a voice behind him his, _shit_.

Luke turned to look at the young man behind him. He was blushing in anger, a hand slapped to his face in embarrassment covering up one of his brown eyes. He looked as nervous as Luke felt. "Ma'am," the boy called, far too loudly this time. The woman looked up from her work and glared. The boy blushed harder and softened his voice, but his resolve didn't fade. "How do you get to King Hall?"

The woman sighed, all pretence of friendliness gone. She swivelled in her chair and grabbed two paper maps on the shelf behind her desk. She extended her hand toward Luke and the other boy, not even looking at them. "It's right across the way," she said. "I'm not sure how you missed it."

"I didn't miss it," Luke burst out. "It's not the room written on the schedule!"

The woman's eyebrows narrowed and she opened her mouth to start a rebuttal when Luke felt himself being tugged in the opposite direction. He was able to shake the hand off. "What –"

"We're going to be late." It was the other boy, the one with the loud voice. Luke didn't protest, jogging a bit to catch up with him. He wasn't much taller than Luke – only by a few inches – but Luke hadn't had reason to run in quite some time. He was more accustomed to swimming.

Luke hurried after the other boy, trying to remember what the American social mores were – was he supposed to introduce himself, like his father taught him to when solving puzzles? Or was this an awkward interaction, and they were meant to ignore one another, like people did on the Tube?

"I'm Apollo, by the way," Luke looked up to him, to Apollo, his questioned answered. "Justice. Apollo Justice. Yeah, I know, my name's kinda dumb."

"I – I'm Luke Triton," Luke said. "And I don't think your name's dumb at all." Apollo smiled, smoothing his hair (was that fringe sticking up? Had he styled it that way?) down.

"Th – thanks. Are you a freshman too?" Apollo was avoiding Luke's gaze, blushing down at the ground.

"Yes, and I've just come in from England."

"Oh! Yeah, I, uh – I figured that. What made you come to America?" Apollo asked, chancing a glance at his newfound friend and trying not to trip over his feet.

Luke was startled – he hadn't been asked that yet. People always either assumed they knew the answer ("more options over here," Campus Officer Gumshoe said with pride) or didn't really care. "Well, you see – th-this is our room!"

Apollo looked through the small window cautiously. The professor, a casually dressed man in in a nice top hat, smiled at them and waved them in. Apollo opened the door, holding it for Luke. Luke's heart started to race in his throat. Had the professor always been this…debonair? He had only the faintest memories of the man. The rest were stories his father had told him.

"I hope you weren't too badly lost on your way here. I'm afraid the registrar rather likes to mess with first-years." The professor indicated two empty chairs one row back from the front. "I don't believe Mr Terran would have any issues with you sitting beside him?"

Terran, with messy black hair and a bandage on his nose, shook his head. He was smirking at Apollo. "It's totally fine with me," he said. Apollo was glaring at the kid, hands fisted and a light blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Good!" The professor beamed, and although his smile was not directed at Luke specifically, he could feel a fluttering in his chest. "Now that we're all here, why don't we begin with a puzzle?"


	2. Chapter 2

"God Apollo, you're such a ditz." Terran - Clay was his first name - was now leading them down the hall and out into the courtyard. Unlike Luke and apparently Apollo (whose shoulders were hunched up against his ears in an attempt to make it through the crowd unmolested), Clay was relatively tall with broad shoulders. His voice was pretty booming, but he wasn't exactly yelling. If anything, his boisterous nature reminded Luke of one of the Black Ravens back home in Misthallery.

He wondered if Professor Layton would remember that particular adventure. It was eight years ago, and Luke knew the Professor's memory was faulty after some terrible accident he'd suffered back in London two years before he and Luke had met. He'd had a young woman with him, then. Luke wondered if she'd followed the Professor to America...

"You okay, Luke?" Clay was standing with his cheeks puffed out, contemplating the food options in front of him. Luke and Apollo both had trays in hand, but Luke couldn't even remember entering the cafeteria.

"Yeah, 'm fine," Luke lied, scooping what looked like mashed potatoes on his plate.

Apollo frowned, unconvinced, but didn't say anything.

When Luke reached the table, he noticed Clay glancing over to a long table where a group of professors sat, discussing whatever it was professors talked about for fun. Luke tried to ignore the top hat and orange turtleneck, trying to determine which had hold over the other boy's attention.

Clay narrowed his eyes. "Is that who I think it is?" he asked.

"You mean Solomon Starbuck?" Apollo let his backpack drop to the floor as he set his tray down. "Yeah, he works here now. Didn't you know?"

Clay shook his head, returning to his food while keeping one eye on the professor. He looked familiar, somehow...

"Oh!" Luke started. "The HAT-1 Miracle, right?"

Apollo nodded, smirking at Clay's shrug of shoulders. "Clay's had the biggest fanboy hero-worship crush on Starbuck when we were kids." Clay blushed. "In fact that's what I thought drew you here."

"They have a great astrophysics program here," Clay insisted. The look on his face was damn near murderous. "You think you're so high and mighty, but don't try to deny your unnatural obsession with a certain spiky-haired ex-lawyer isn't the reason you're here today."

Luke had never seen someone blush so much or so quickly. "Oh my god, Clay, shut up!" Apollo bellowed. Luke's eyes widened in horror as a good chunk of the professors at the table across from them looked over to glare. For someone so easily embarrassed as Apollo appeared to be, the kid was loud.

Luke caught professor Layton's eye by accident, and looked quickly down, pretending to be engrossed in his soup. Apollo caught the brief exchange and forgot his own embarrassment. "Okay Luke, what's up with you and -"

"Well you have grown a lot, Luke, since I last saw you." Luke jumped up to his feet, accidentally slamming his hand on the table. He rubbed his hand as a distraction while he tried to think of something to say. "Now Luke, you didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you?"

"N-no, professa'," Luke lied. Layton wasn't angry, however, gracing Luke with a warm smile.

"You two already know each other?" Clay blurted. Apollo kicked him under the table.

"Yes. Luke's father and I were old school friends, and Luke was my apprentice for a short while." Layton crossed his arms, smile fading to a short frown. "Might have done so for longer, had his father allowed it. But I suppose it was for the best, and you're here now."

"You adopted a daughter, didn't you?" Luke had been rooting around his head for something to say to keep the professor from leaving. If he didn't speak now, he might be too shy to do so later. "At a rather curious village, the people were all robots."

The professor laughed. "Oh, I'm surprised you heard about that!"

"How do you mean? Professa', you're famous!"

Layton blushed, tipping his hat between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't know quite about that, Luke," Layton crossed his arms again. "But yes. I have adopted a young girl by the name of Flora. A few years older than you, really. She's visiting London at the moment, but she'll be back soon enough. I think the two of you would quite get along."

Luke couldn't think of anything to say, but was filled with an urge to hug his former mentor. How he managed to withhold himself, he's not sure. "W-well, it's nice being able to see you again, professa'."

"Indeed!" Layton patted Luke's shoulder awkwardly. The past few years in America must have made the older man more adept to touching, but Luke still felt a discomforting warmness spread through his chest. He didn't quite like where this feeling was going. "I look forward to seeing you in class again." The professor tipped his hat to Luke's companions. "Good day," he said, and left.

Clay raised his eyebrows at Luke. Once the professor was out of sight, Luke sat down again. "So," Clay drew out. "Looks like Polly and I aren't the only ones with a secret crush on a much older man." Luke blushed, covering his eyes with his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't so much that Apollo didn't want to go to Mr Wright's law class. It was more that he was...

Well, he was absolutely terrified. This was his _hero_ teaching the class. Clay hadn't been exaggerating when he told Luke that all of Apollo's diary entries as a child had been written in the form of letters to one Phoenix Wright. Truth be told, he sometimes still imagined conversations between the two when he felt unsure of himself. He was ashamed, but his hero-worship knew no bounds.

That would have to change now he was about to meet the man in the flesh.

Apollo fidgeted nervously with his jacket and hair. He was beginning to think maybe the horns were a bad idea. Sure, they were his signature, but people wouldn't stop pointing and staring. He swore he even heard a few girls laughing at him.

When Apollo reached the lecture hall (and flattened his hair for the sixtieth time), he surveyed the population of the room. He was a little early, so there were plenty of seats still open. Would he appear too eager if he headed straight to the front row?

A grumpy-looking brunette with a cup of coffee in one hand pushed past him. She had a set of goggles set up on her head and a labcoat draped over her shoulders. She grumbled an apology as she plopped down in the middle of the front row. Apollo followed suite, keeping a seat between them.

A few of the girls in the back giggled. Apollo coloured, feeling self-conscious. They were probably tittering over the teacher, who'd yet to enter the room. He'd been rated highly on ratemyprofessor, and it wasn't just his credentials that earned him that 8.5. Several commentators on the man's profile remarked on his great physique, dreamy dark eyes, and confident smirk. Even a few guys trying to keep up the pretense of heterosexuality made note of how good he looked in a suit.

And here he was, the man himself. Apollo sat up a little straighter and tried not to flush up too much. He knew he was staring, his hands shaking slightly. The red tie, blue suit, spiky black hair -

"Apollo?" Apollo snapped out of his reverie, realizing he had, in fact, been staring. Oh, God. His worst nightmare come to life. Called out by his idol on the first day of class - "Apollo Justice."

_Wow, his eyes really are the color of coffee... Snap out of it, Apollo!_ "Yes!" he shouted. He tried not to let his boisterous greeting embarrass him. "Y-yes, sir. Professor! Professor Wright. Uhm...yes?"

Phoenix was staring at him, a small smile on his face. "A little nervous are you, Apollo?" Apollo nodded, keeping his mouth shut. "Don't be. I just wanted to say hi."

"Uh -" _Real intelligent, Justice. Use your words._ "Hi, professor." Apollo bit his lip, not caring if he was blatantly starstruck.

The older man laughed - at what, Apollo wasn't sure. "Yeah, hi, Apollo." _What is the point of this conversation?_ "I read your essay - the one you submitted as part of your application for admittance." The look in Professor Wright's eyes was intense. Apollo was breathless.

"Oh - oh?"

Wright nodded, just once. "It was brilliant. Very...perceptive. I hope you bring some of that vigor into the classroom."

"I - I'll try to sir. Professor!"

The professor laughed again. "Calm down, kid. I don't bite." Apollo was too busy blushing to be entirely sure if he imagined the 'unless that's what you're into'.

The professor moved away to stand in front of the girl to Apollo's left. "Ema?" The brunette raised her head and smiled weakly. "Not awake?" Ema grumbled something under her breathe, and put her head back down. "How late were you up last night, working on experiments with Dr Allen?"

Apollo couldn't hear the reply, but the professor was obviously amused. He urged her to speak up, and she snapped loudly in response: "Until six! I only just woke up!"

The class, now full, had gone completely quiet. Professor Wright rubbed the back of his head. "Whoops. Eheh, hello class. Welcome to Law 101! Well, okay, that's not exactly the course title, but I think you get my meaning. Most of you are newbies," Apollo saw him look pointedly at a few kids in the back. "Some of you are not. But that's...that's okay! We're all a little oblivious of the law sometimes, but that's what I'm here for -"

"Guten Tag, Herr Wright." The professor's face fell at the room's new occupant. Ema the grumpy scientist had also sat up straight, and was giving the blonde in the sunglasses a horrific glare. The man pushed the sunglasses on top of his head and winked at Ema. She huffed in reply, turning back to face the front of the room.

"Take a seat, Klavier," Professor Wright said with exasperation. Klavier scooted into the front row, sitting uncomfortably close to Apollo. He looked at Apollo with a raised eyebrow, and Apollo suddenly felt very defensive of his appearance...and a little self-conscious.

"What's with the sweat, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked. Apollo felt his jaw drop, but couldn't think of a comeback.

"Oh leave him alone, you glimmerous fop," Ema snapped. Her lips were pursed and her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh," Klavier breathed. "Jealous, are we, hm? Fraulein Skye?"

Ema rolled her eyes. "Professor Wright, can we _please_ start class now?"

"Uh," the professor was looking between the three uncomfortable (okay, only two were upset) students in the front row. "Sure, okay. Uhm," he looked around, sticking his hands back in his pockets. Now that he was thrown off, he seemed to be having a little trouble getting focused again. "Well, ah, I know it's pretty corny, but we're going to be spending a semester together. How about a little getting-to-know-you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Apollo spent most of the class trying not to stare too much at his professor - or at the very least, trying not to get caught staring at the professor. He didn't really have much to worry about, as their in-class assignment required working in groups of three that left him with the bickering and oblivious Klavier and Ema. He would have suggested the two kiss and get it over with, if he wasn't afraid of how Ema would respond. Klavier, on the other hand, would have been thrilled. As the two argued over some innocuous detail that was serving more as a metaphor for their personal problems than as an actual example, Apollo took out a sheet of paper and started to write down the names of all the constellations he could remember, drawing their patterns in approximation.

"Getting bored are we, Apollo?" Apollo looked up at his teacher, finding that his earlier apprehension had lessened slightly. Even if he was still a little twitterpated in the man's presence. How could he not be?

Apollo looked over to where Klavier and Ema had been sitting after moving their seats to face Apollo and not each other, only to see that Ema had left to sharpen her pencil. And Klavier, brave but stupid, had followed.

Apollo sighed. "I'm not exactly getting a lot done here, not when they're fighting like that."

Professor Wright sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I know. I can understand where Ema's coming from, though. It's difficult to work with someone after they've broken your trust..."

Apollo wasn't sure what to say in response. The melancholy reply made him suppose his teacher was speaking from personal experience, but it would be inappropriate for him to pry. On the other hand, he was curious about how the professor had come to know of Ema and Klavier's situation.

"They're a year ahead of you," he remarked. "There's a reason they're re-taking this class."

Apollo followed his teacher's gaze, still watching as the two continued to snark at one another, Ema's pencil-sharpening mission forgotten.

"He isn't... He isn't Klavier _Gavin_, is he?" Apollo asked. "The brother of Kristoph Gavin? the one who gave you forged evidence that almost had you debarred?"

Professor Wright leveled Apollo with a stern look. For a minute, Apollo thought he was going to be scolded for bringing the subject up; when the brief look of anger turned to one of intrigue, he thought his professor might question how he'd come by such knowledge. He was fortunate, however, that Mr Wright merely said, "Yes. That Klavier Gavin."

Apollo nodded. He wanted to say something helpful, or something effective, but nothing came to mind.

The professor shook his head. "But that's not important right now," he continued. "What's important is that you find the break in this statement's logic." Professor Wright took the seat abandoned by Klavier, leaning forward so Apollo could hear him without shouting. "Now, what about this situation seems wrong to you?"

* * *

Luke only had the one archaeology class on Mondays, so when he, Clay and Apollo parted ways outside the cafeteria, Luke headed back to his room. It had been a single when he'd first moved in. Not that it was meant to be; his roommate simply hadn't shown up as of yet. Luke wondered why the other kid was so late to arrive. American schools were quite different from schools back home. They weren't nearly as lenient - or so Luke had heard. But when Luke unlocked the door, he found another boy sitting on the abandoned bed across from his own.

His roommate, it would seem, had arrived.

The other boy was a bit taller than Luke - maybe Apollo's height. He had messy brown hair and a lanky form, and...really, he looked quite a bit like Luke. Perhaps exactly the way Luke would have looked, had he taken after his father more than his mother.

Luke cleared his throat, and his new roommate looked up. "Oh, hello," he said. "I'd been wondering when you'd come back. The wifi is a bit tricky to hack into, and I didn't really feel like putting forth the effort. Would you be so kind as to give me the password?"

Luke was a little dumbstruck. For one, his roommate was English. It wasn't a huge throwoff, but this school wasn't known for a diverse international population. Yet here Luke was, with a UK roommate. For another, this sort of greeting was quite rude in comparison to the way Luke had been raised to greet new people. He could hear Crow's voice in the back of his mind, telling him to check his privilege. But son of the mayor or son of a baker, there were appropriate ways to say hello and inappropriate ways.

This was the latter. "I think you'll have to go to the library to set that up. That's how I found out what mine was - something about your name and student number," Luke said instead of harassing the boy.

His roommate didn't respond verbally, simply nodding his head at the computer screen.

Luke switched weight from one foot to the other. "I'm Luke, by the way," he said. He felt a bit foolish when his roommate didn't immediately respond. "What's your -"

"Clive," his roommate said. "I'm Clive Dove. Engineering major, business minor." Clive closed his laptop and pushed it aside. He jumped off the bed, and pulled on a blue cap similar to Luke's. He gave Luke a once-over before announcing, "I'm going out," and leaving without a further goodbye.

Luke felt a bit insulted. He didn't have any illusions about some sort of instantaneous bonding with his roommate the minute the other boy showed up, but he had to confess to himself at least that he was jealous. Luke had never had many friends, and as an only child he wasn't accustomed to sharing space - or anything else, for that matter. He was willing to give it a shot, but he didn't know how he'd cope with a roommate so cold.

He wanted what Clay and Apollo had - whatever you'd call that bond. He'd learned to be more open with the kids of Misthallery, but as they aged, Arianna became more interested in flirtatious pursuits that had no effect on Luke. And the Black Ravens - well, they were kids of poverty, and Luke was the mayor's son. Luke found ways to bond with animals, but it couldn't make up for the human contact of which he'd been deprived.

Luke toughened up. He had to. It wasn't that his father was unsupportive, but he didn't really know how to deal with Luke's "eccentricities", as he called them. He had to know his son was gay, but it was not something he'd ever made an attempt to talk to Luke about. Luke thought his mum would understand, but when they divorced and she moved overseas...

She lived in America, and Clark - Luke's father - thought that was part of the draw of an American university. Clark always held that Luke blamed him for the separation, when in truth Luke blamed himself. As though his parents would have been able to work things out if he himself hadn't been such a queer child - in both meanings of the word.

Luke locked the door to his lonesome dorm room and pushed himself up onto the raised bed. He let the hat slide off his head as he laid back slowly, arms floating out to the sides. But this technique wasn't working anymore, and Luke rolled onto his side. He knew it was going to cause him immense physical pain in the morning, but despite his past experiences, Luke brought his knees to his chin, hugging his calves tight to his chest. And for the first time since Luke was ten and his parents wouldn't let him leave to be with the first person he'd ever considered a friend, Luke cried.


	5. Chapter 5

Luke didn't even wait a full week to get and fill out a change of adviser form. Mr Grossberg was a nice man, but he was a law professor. Grossberg just happened to have that section of the alphabet. He didn't even appear to recognize Luke, just mumbled something about the scent of fresh lemons as he signed the sheet. Luke shared an eyeroll with Clay as he went in to get a form signed as well.

"Where are we meeting Polly again?" Clay asked.

Luke struggled with his messenger bag, or at least pretended to. All he wanted was to avoid Clay's eyes and hide the blush that tinged his cheeks. "King Hall," Luke replied. "He's getting something signed by professor Sycamore, and I need to turn this paper into professor Layton anyway..."

Clay shook his head, but didn't say anything back.

Apollo looked disgruntled when Clay and Luke caught up with him. The fringe that normally stood up at the top of his head was starting to droop. "Hey, did you guys know about his legendary rivalry with professor Layton?" Luke shook his head. Apollo sighed. "He was muttering about the Layton when I went in, and he was still muttering when I left. It was a little creepy."

Apollo huffed his cheeks puffing out as he straightened the paper in his hand. Luke peeked over his hands to discover a change of adviser form, just like the ones he and Clay recently had signed.

Clay nudged Apollo with his elbow. "You gonna ask professor Wright?" Clay waggled his eyebrows to add to the suggestion.

Apollo frowned. "I don't know."

"What?" Luke sputtered. "But isn't he your hero? Why wouldn't you?"

Apollo sighed again. "Would that only lead to disappointment? I hear you get to know your advisers pretty well - that they're not just there for academic support -"

"Don't be such a dope, Apollo," Clay responded. He was frowning in concern. "Sure, you get to see the man as a real human being, but couldn't that be a good thing too?"

"Yeah, I guess," Apollo admitted. They stopped in front of Layton's office, waiting for Luke to go in.

"What's the matter Luke? Don't you want your hero to be your adviser?" Clay teased.

"Shut up," Luke snapped, cheeks coloring. "It's different."

He snorted. "How? How is this any different than Apollo's _raison d'etre_?"

Apollo shook his head. "You are not using that phrase in the right way, man."

Clay shrugged. "Whatever," he leaned down to Luke's level. "It's not like you gotta suck the man's dick or anything."

"Clay!" Luke shouted. In the shock, he nearly ripped the paper in two. His voice echoed through the hallway. The disruption angered teachers, slamming their doors shut in retaliation. Picking the worst timing ever, Layton popped his head out of his office.

"Ah, Luke! Do you have something for me?"

Luke had been expecting Clay to chime in with something inappropriate (and the resulting kick to his shin from Apollo), but none came. Luke looked around him, to see his friends had vanished. He was half relieved...and half annoyed. "Well - yes, professor."

Layton beckoned him in. Although the top hat was still in place, his jacket was draped around his chair and his sleeves were pushed up. His office was a little warm for fall, and Luke found himself fidgeting with the hem of his sweater. Layton closed the door gently enough, but the click of the door against the frame made Luke jump anyway. "Are you alright?" the professor asked. He was leaning with his forearms on his thighs. "You seem distressed."

"I - I'm okay, professor," Luke said. "I just - my friends left so abruptly, I was a bit confused. That's all." Luke managed a thin smile, and hoped it would be enough to placate the professor.

Layton straightened his hat. "Ah. If you say so, Luke." The professor leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. He folded his hands in his lap. "So, what was it you wanted to discuss?"

"Daddy," a voice broke through. There was a quick knock at the door before it was pushed open. "I've been - oh." The girl who entered was prim, proper, in a frilly pink dress. It almost looked like a costume. Her brown hair was pulled back into a pony-tail with a bit a fringe hanging in her face, obscuring one of her large eyes.

"Ah, Flora!" Layton had stood up to embrace her. She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek, never taking her eyes off of Luke. "I've been hoping the two of you would meet. Luke, this is Flora, my daughter." Luke remembered his manners, standing up and brushing imaginary dirt from his trousers before offering Flora his hand. Hers was small and soft, and for the first time Luke felt tall. "Flora, this is Luke Triton. Do you remember me telling you about him, and our adventure in Misthallery?"

Flora nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. "You're rather taller than in your pictures, Luke," she commented.

"My...pictures?"

"Oh, yes!" she piped up. "The professor keeps a scrapbook - Daddy, you should show it to him sometime!" She bounced on the balls of her feet, cheery smile on her face. But despite the cordial impression she'd been giving Luke, there was something off about her. Luke zoned out for a minute, trying to sort out what it was. Then, he saw it: a bite mark on her neck, close up to her ear.

"Luke?" Luke blinked, attention drawn back to the professor. "What was it you wanted to see me about?"

"Oh, ah -" he held out his form. "It's - well, it's a change of adviser form. And would - well, I was wondering - would you -"

"Sign it?" the professor provided.

"...yes," Luke mumbled, blush spreading on his face.

"Well of course, my boy!" he smiled, slipping the form from Luke's hands. He scrawled his messy signature over the line quickly, handing it back to Luke. "Now, if you will excuse me, Flora and I must have a series conversation about her schooling." Luke only nodded numbly, surprised at how well the conversation had gone. But as he shook his tired legs to regain feeling and trotted from the room, he caught Flora's suspicous eyes, touching the bite mark on her neck.


End file.
